L'observatoire de La Palma
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GTC: Gran Telescopio Canarias (in english)
The Gran Telescopio Canarias is a 10.4 metres primary mirror reflecting telescope. This primary mirror is made up of 36 hexagonal segments, which put together, have ac light collection surface of 75.5 m2, equivalent in size to a single circular mirror with a diameter of 10.4 m2.
Il will have the latest instruments (called OSIRIS, CanariCarn, ELMER, EMIR) so that it can analyse visible and infrared light.
Active optics will be used to align, bend and move the primary and secondary mirrors to keep them in exactly the same shape and position regardless of external conditions (weather, temperature, gravity...)
Adaptative optics use flexible mirrors to compensate for the aberrations caused to light as it passes through the earth's atmosphere.
by
Charles-Henri Eyraud et Philippe Jeanjacquot
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last modified
2006-07-25 13:54
